Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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702. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay by the NCSE in responding to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63625/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Ensuring that every child with special educational needs gets a suitable education is a priority for the Department of Education.

The Purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement for whom such a placement is not available. Provision is also made for early educational intervention for children aged from 2.5 years to 3 years with autism.

Home tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is sought but not available and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement.

Where parents of children, who are eligible for home tuition under the terms of the scheme, and for whom home tuition has been approved, have sought alternative arrangements to be put in place for the tuition, my Department has responded by putting arrangements in place with private pre-school providers which provide group tuition to children in a class type setting.

In recognition of the demand for group arrangements by parents of children, who are eligible for Home Tuition under the scheme, my Department now advises all such parents of the option to enter into a group arrangement with other parents of children for whom home tuition has been sanctioned. My Department has no contract with the pre-school providers. The contract is essentially between the parents and the relevant provider.

My Department does not provide capital funding to private pre-school providers. Consent of the parent/guardian of the eligible child must be provided to allow the child attend the facility and to allow the facility to receive the payments which are due to the parent under the Scheme. These arrangements allow parents to forego the home based provision in favour of provision in a classroom setting which is supported by a direct payment provision.

Parents wishing to enter into such an arrangement must notify my Department in advance for approval. Funding is provided to these pre-school providers on the basis they abide by the rules established by the Special Education Section of the Department of Education, as set out in Circular 0046/2022 found here: assets.gov.ie/228074/7b95d89e-cb2a-4f97-90c7-7ea663c9e41b.pdf

Ros na Réaltóg have applied and been granted permission to be one of these pre-school group providers on the basis they would abide by the terms and conditions of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme. Each pre-school provider is selected by the parents.

Per the terms and conditions for pre school providers, which were agreed to by Ros na Réaltóg, the Department will only provide funding for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder attending the facility, who are aged 3 years and over, where a school placement is not available and in respect of whom home tuition has been approved by the Department.

Children with Special Educational Needs may avail of home tuition where a school placement is not available as confirmed by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO). The availability of a school placement will be assessed by the NCSE having regard to, although not limited to, the relevant diagnosis and relevant professional report.

There are Early Intervention (pre-school) classes for children with special educational needs attached to recognised primary schools provided across the country in various locations. Transport support is available for children accessing these early intervention classes.

The NCSE have since confirmed to the Department that there are a sufficient number of early intervention class places available locally, based on those children and their families who have made themselves known to the NCSE and as such the Department were not in a position to grant home tuition for the children applying to attend Ros na Réaltóg.

The local special educational needs organiser (SENO) remains available to support families of children with special educational needs in the area seeking school placements.

In relation to the query from Ms. Róisín Geddes from Ros na Réaltóg Forest School to the NCSE, this has been forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.